Supporting bracket for paint receptacles



Dec. 1960 A. G. CAPORICCI 2,963,252 I SUPPORTING BRACKET FOR PAINT RECEPTACLES Filed Sept. 30, 1959 INVENTOR 7 (-1- 34" 0 wa y-W ATTORNEY United States Patent SUPPORTING BRACKET FOR PAINT RECEPTACLES Antonio G. Caporicci, '7 18th*St., Buiialo, N.Y. Filed Sept. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 843,463

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-229) This invention relates to a supporting bracket capable of beingdetachably clamped to a ladderstile or to a substantially horizontal element suchas a step of a stepladder for securely supporting a paint receptacle, such as apaint'can or a paint tray, in a convenient position for use bya painter.

Another object of the invention is to provide a supporting bracket having parts which uniquely cooperate to enable the bracket to be utilized in connection with diiferent types of supports and for supporting different types of paint receptacles.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, showing the supporting bracket secured to a ladder stile;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof, with a paint can shown applied to and supported by the bracket;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view, on a reduced scale, looking in the opposite direction to Figure 2 and illustrating another application and use of the supporting bracket, and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the supporting bracket in its entirety is designated generally 6 and includes an elongated strip of metal having an intermediate portion bent to form a split ring 7, and end portions extending from the ring 7 and including arms 8 and 9 which are normally disposed substantially parallel to one another and which form extensions of the ring 7. The terminals of said end portions of the strip comprise cars 10 and 11. One of said end portions, which includes the arm 8 and ear 10, has an outwardly o-fiset inwardly opening channel shaped part disposed between said arm 8 and car 10 and forming a jaw 12 which is disposed in opposed relationship to a corresponding jaw 13, forming a part of the other end portion and located between the arm 9 and car 11 thereof. The metal strip forming the parts 7-13 is of suflicient width, as illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4, to provide the necessary strength for supporting a paint receptacle and is formed of a relatively resilient metal so that the end portions thereof can be drawn toward one another when a compressing force is applied thereto.

A bar 14, constituting a hanger, has an upper end disposed against and secured to the outer side of the intermediate portion of the arm 9, as by welding, as seen at 15. The lower end of the hanger 14 is secured, as by additional welds, to an end portion 16 of a bar 17, which end portion is disposed beneath and spaced from said arm 9 and in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the ring 7. The bar portion 16 extends inwardly under a part of the ring 7. The other end of the bar 17 forms a clamp 18 which opens in a direction away from. the hanger 14 and which includes an upper jaw forming a downwardly turned back extension of the outer end of the bar portion 16 and which bears against the underside thereof, so that said upper jaw 19 provides a reinforcement or brace for the end of the bar portion 16 which extends under the ring 7. The lower jaw 20 of the clamp 18 has its free end flared away from the upper jaw 19 and'is provided intermediate of its ends with an external boss 21. A threaded bore 22 extends through said external boss and the jaw 20 to receive a setscrew 23 having a wing head at its outer end.

A bolt 24 extends through aligned openings 25 in the hanger 14 and arm 9 and through an opening 26 in the arm 8. A wingnut 27 threadedly engages the shank end of the bolt 24 *on the outer side of the arm 8. A bushing 28 is mounted on the shank of the bolt 24 between the nut 27 and arm 9" and a compression spring 29 is disposed around the bushing -28, between and in bearing engagement with the arms 8 and 9.

The ears 10 and 11 have aligned openings 30 to loosely receive the shank of a bolt 31 which extends therethrough and which has a wingnut 32 threaded thereon, so that the cars 16 and 11 are disposed between the head of the bolt 31 and said nut 32.

Figure 2 illustrates one application of the supporting bracket 6, shown applied to a stileor side rail 33 of a ladder. To effect this application, the nut 27 is loosened and the bolt 31 and nut 32 are removed so that the ladder stile 33 can be inserted between the cars 10 and 11 and positioned between the jaws 12 and 13 with one edge of the stile 33 seating in the channel of the jaw 12 and the other edge of said stile seating in the channel of the jaw 13. The nut 27 is then adjusted and tightened to cause the arms 8 and 9 to resume positions substantially parallel to one another, as illustrated in Figure l, and also to return the jaws 12 and 13 to substantially parallel relation to one another. The fastening 31, 32 is then re-applied and tightened to securely clamp the jaws 12 and 13 to the stile 33. To accommodate ladder stiles of greater width than the ladder stile 33, the nut 27 may be loosened and the spring 29 will urge the arms 8 and 9 and the jaws 12 and 13 apart. The ring 7, hanger 14, bar portion 16 and clamp 18 are disposed on the outer side of the ladder stile 33, as seen in Figure 2, and a conventional paint can 34 is inserted downwardly through the ring 7 so that a portion of the bottom thereof will rest upon a part of the bar portion 16 which is disposed beneath the ring 7 to eifectively hold the can 34 in the support 6, with the ring 7 closely embracing the can substantially above the bottom thereof. It will be readily obvious that the support 6 may be mounted on either stile of a ladder, where most convenient to the painter.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate another application of the supporting bracket 6. A portion of a stepladder step 34' is shown in Figure 3 with the supporting bracket 6 mounted thereon. The clamp 18 engages an edge of the step 34 with the upper jaw 19 resting on said step and the lower jaw 20 disposed therebeneath. The setscrew 23 is advanced upwardly against the underside of the step for clamping the bracket 6 thereon. The bracket 6 may obviously be attached, in the manner as illustrated in Figure 3, to any substantially horizontal supporting member. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the supporting bracket 6 utilized for supporting a conventional pan or tray 35 of the type employed for holding paint to be applied to a paint roller 36. For mounting the pan or tray 35, two corresponding adapter members 37 are employed as a part of the bracket 6, each of which includes an upwardly opening bottom hook 38 which is displaced upwardly into engagement with a part of the band 7, and an outwardly offset upright bar portion 39 which is adapted to bear against a side wall 40 of the pan or tray 35 and which terminates at its upper end in an inwardly turned back hook 41 which engages over the upper edge of said side Patented Dec. 6, 1960 wall 40. Each bar portion 39 has a wing headed setscrew 42 threadedly inwardly therethrough and which is adapted to be tightened against the tray wall 40. With the setscrews 42 of the two adapters 37 thus applied, the adapters are securely clamped to'the ring 7 and tray 35 for supporting the tray on the ring '7 and rigidly relative thereto. The side walls 40 taper in width from end-to-end thereof so that the narrow ends of said side walls 40 can be readily inserted under the hooks 41 with the tray disposed above the ring 7, after which the tray can be moved lengthwise until it is tightly disposed between the hooks 41 and ring 7.

It will also be readily apparent that the paint can 34 can be supported by the bracket 6 when said bracket is mounted on the horizontal support 34', and the tray or pan 35 may be supported by the bracket 6 when said bracket is mounted on the ladder stile 33.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A supporting bracket for a paint receptacle comprising a ring, means connected to said ring and adapted to be detachably clamped to a support for mounting the ring in substantially a horizontal position, and a pair of adapter members each having a bottom hook detachably embracing a part of the ring and an outwardly oifset upper hook adapted to engage a side wall of a paint pan for detachably securing the paint pan on said ring.

2. A supporting bracket as in claim 1, and a setscrew supported by and threadedly mounted in a part of each of said adapters and adapted to bear forcibly against a part of the paint pan for securing the adapter to the paint pan.

3. A supporting bracket for a paint receptacle comprising a clamp adapted to be secured to a substantially horizontal support, said clamp including an upper jaw, a post fixed to and rising from a part of said upper jaw, and a ring member fixed to and supported by said post above and substantially parallel to said upper jaw, said ring member being adapted to embrace a paint receptacle, and said upper jaw having a part disposed directly beneath a part of the ring member and on which a part of the bottom of the paint receptacle is adapted to rest whereby the receptacle is supported by said ring member and upper jaw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,647,069 Ahlman -n Oct. 25, 1927 2,686,032 Thorson Aug. 10, 1954 2,694,825 Touchett et a1 Nov. 23, 1954 2,912,205 Toune Nov. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,060,179 France Nov. 10, 1959 

